'So far we have only scratched the surface,' said Woudhuysen. 'Anyone who opposes mobile data is a fool. The future of work, at least a lot of it, will be mobile,' he added.
Woudhuysen said he was positive about the benefits of wireless communications, but said that with it would come a lot more background office noise, which could affect employees' performance at work.
In order to overcome this he asked delegates to the conference — most of whom were facilities managers — to 'sign up to the manifesto that would give employees more room to think.' He asked them to ensure that employees have places where they can sit and think properly — an activity he believes has declined since the advent of open-plan offices in the 1960s.
'New technology should be used in offices that are much more engineered for thinking, for reading and writing,' he said. He called for properly soundproofed rooms and fewer play areas. He admitted however, that it would be a struggle for facilities managers to secure bigger workspaces.
Woudhuysen said he disagreed with the theories of management guru Charles Handy, who believes that structured office space keeps people closeted from interruptions that could give them the inside track on what they really need to know about their business.
He was critical of those that believe mobile communications result in employees that are always waiting for their next prompt. 'Social priorities will shape IT. We can always turn off the mobile phone, or shut the oyster-shelled laptop,' he said, 'the technology is not the problem.'
In conclusion he said that planning the working environment was a question of balance, of finding the happy medium between work and play. He believes play should be voluntary and not factored into work schedules through 'away days' and corporate play areas.
Source
The Facilities Business